Sewing-machine shuttle



May 28, 1929. R. L. HAM

SEWING MACHINE SHUTTLE Filed Aug. 14, 1928 ZZZ m2??? iMWZZfhi/z,

Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFEE ROBERT L. HAM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGINOR TO SUMMIT THREAD COM- PANY, OF EAST HAMPTON, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

SEWING-MACHINE SHUTTLE.

Application filed August 14, 1928. Serial No. 299,551.

This invention relates to a sewing-machine shuttle having a bobbin chamber adapted to receive a ready-wound bobbin which includes a cop tube and a winding of thread thereon, the shuttle having a spring which presses the bobbin against a friction flange at one end of the chamber.

The invention has for its object to provide a shuttle of this character with improved means for controlling the rotation of the bobbin to prevent it from rotating faster than required by the call of the stitchforming mechanism for thread, the nature of said means being such that coils of thread which may drop from the bobbin, are prevented from being entangled with the spring.

Other objects will hereinafter appear.

The invention is embodied in the improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification,-

Figure 1 is a side view looking toward one side of a shuttle embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view, showing the shuttle body open for the reception of a bobbin.

Figure 4 is a section on line 44 of Figure 3, and a plan view of parts below said line.

Figure 5 is a. perspective view of the disk shown by Figures 1 and 2.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all of the figures.

Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 illustrate a well known type of shuttle body used with the Singer sewing-machine, and known as the Singer I. M. shuttle. This particular type of shuttle is used for convenience of illustration, and it will be understood that my invention hereinafter described may be applied to shuttle bodies otherwise constructed.

The shuttle body here shown comprises two sections 2 and 3, hinged together at 4, said sections forming a circular bobbin chamber 5, adapted to receive a ready-wound bobbin, which includes a winding 6 of thread, and a cop tube 7, on which the thread is wound. The body is provided with annular inner and outer inwardly projecting flan es 8 and 9 at opposite ends of the bobgin chamber, and with a spring 10 fixed to the body and normally projecting into the bobbin chamber through the inner flange 8, as shown by Figure 3.

The shuttle is provided with the usual resilient cross-bar 11, fixed at one end to the section 2 of the body, and bearing separably on the body at its opposite end, the bar being adapted,- as in the well known Singer I. M. shuttle, to hold the sections 2 and 3 either closed together or separated.

The flange 9 constitutes a frictional seat for an outer head 12 engaged with the bobbin as shown by Figure 2. 13 designates a disk loosely inserted in the bobbin chamber, and formed to bear at its margin on the inner flange 8, and at its central portion on the spring 10; The disk is adapted to be pressed by the spring against the inner end face of the bobbin, said end face being formed, in this instance, by an end of the cop tube 7, and an end of the thread winding 6. The pressure exerted on the disk 13 by the spring causes the disk to press the outer head 12 of the bobbin against the outer flange 9 of the shuttle, and maintain frictional contact'between said head and flange. The disk 13 has smooth glossy surfaces contacting with the spring and the bobbin, so that the disk does not objeetionably oppose the rotation of the bobbin required by the withdrawal of thread therefrom. a

The diameter of the disk is greater than that of a bobbin formed to freely enter the chamber, so that the disk prevents the entangling, with the spring 10, of loose thread coils displaced from the'bobbin. The disk is preferably transparent, so that by looking at the side of the shuttle shown by Figure 1, an operator may ascertain whether the bobbin should be replenished or not.

A suitable material for the disk is sheet celluloid, this having smooth glossy surfaces, and being transparent and suificientlv fiex ible to conform closely to the bobbin end face on which it bears.

It will be seen that the disk characterized as stated, is well adapted to cooperate with a bobbin, one end face, of which is somewhat rough or irregular, and is formed by the ends of the tube 7 and thread winding 6, the smooth gloss side of the disk contacting with said end ace offering no objection-' ab e frictional resistance to the rotation of the bobbin. The space in the bobbin chamher which would be occupied by an inner head, similar to the head 12, is therefore occupied by wound thread, the Winding 6 bein g correspondingly lengthened and containing a maximum yardage.

I claim:

1. A shuttle comprising a body having a circular bobbin chamber and inner and outer inwardly projecting flanges at opposite ends of the chamber, the outer flange constituting a frictional seat for an outer head on a ready wound bobbin, a spring fixed to the body and normally projecting into the chamber through the inner flange, and a disk loosely inserted in the chamber and formed to bear at its margin on the inner flange, and at its central portion on the spring, so that the disk is adapted to be pressed by the spring against the inner end face of a bobbin insertod in the chamber, and to press 20 the outer head of the bobbin against the outer flange and maintain frictional contact between said head and flange, the disk having smooth glossy surfaces contacting with the spring and bobbin, so that the disk does not objectionably oppose the rotation of the bobbin required by the withdrawal of thread therefrom, the diameter of the disk being greater than that of a bobbin formed to freely enter the chamber, so that the disk prevents the entangling with the spring of ioose thread coils displaced from the bob- 2. A shuttle as specified by claim 1, the disk being composed of transparent material permitting inspection of the end face of a bobbin on which the disk bears.

In testimony whereof I have aifixed my signature.

ROBERT L, HAMI 

